U.S. to Respect Gay Couples’ Marriages for Tax Purposes

Washington -- The Treasury Department announced today that married same-sex couples will be treated as married for all federal tax purposes – regardless of where they live – in light of the Supreme Court ruling against the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.

Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement:

“This announcement makes today a day of celebration and relief for married same-sex couples all over America. At long last, the IRS will treat them as what they are: married. Freedom to Marry commends the administration’s swift implementation of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling for federal equality in an area that will have a direct, tangible impact on families’ financial health.

“The fact that this new respect applies only to married couples – not those joined by domestic partnerships or civil unions – highlights the need for an America where everyone can marry the person they love in any state, and have that marriage respected at all levels of government.”

Freedom to Marry’s “Roadmap to Victory – Finishing the Job,” released last month, calls for setting the stage for a successful return to the Supreme Court by ensuring that by the end of 2016, a majority of Americans live in a marriage state, polls show public support for the freedom to marry above 60%, and federal marriage discrimination has been eliminated through passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which was reintroduced in Congress in June.

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Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide. We are pursuing our Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.